Secularists

I like David Brooks’ column in today’s New York Times, in which he gently prods secularists for the gaps in their belief system. I only take issue with a short section in which he disavows any sense that truth is involved:

“The point is not that secular people should become religious. You either believe in God or you don’t. Neither is the point that religious people are better than secular people. That defies social science evidence and common observation.”

I’d say there are reasons to believe in God, or not. It’s not fated. People choose, for reasons (articulate and inarticulate) that make sense to them. And while it’s true that religious people are not necessarily better than secular people, certain kinds of religious faith (and secular faith?) do lead to certain kinds of results. Are Quakers no different from Islamists? Is Donald Trump no different from Bill Gates?